The ultimate winners for this year’s Nyeri governor’s cup will be known this Sunday as soccer and volleyball teams battle it out for the Sh200,000 and Sh130,000 cash prize respectively.
The grand finale for the one month-long tournament is expected to take place at the Moi Nyeri complex primary school, where governor Dr. Mutahi Kahiga is expected to grace the occasion.
The Nyeri County Government through the Department of Gender, Youth, Sports and Social Services initiated the tournament to help identify sporting talents among the youth.
The tournament kicked off on May 17 in all the 30 wards with teams competing in both men’s and women’s categories.
Kahiga announced that the first four teams in each category will receive cash prizes, while all participating teams will be issued with uniform sporting kits, balls, and nets.
“The tournament has continued to unite communities across Nyeri, providing a valuable platform for young people to nurture their talents, build confidence and pursue opportunities in sports,” posted Kahiga on his Facebook page.
“Beyond competition, the governor’s cup promotes healthy lifestyles, social cohesion, and positive engagement among residents. Through this initiative, the County Government of Nyeri continues to invest in grassroots sports development as an important avenue for youth empowerment, talent identification, and community growth.”
He has urged members of the public to turn up in large numbers on Sunday to witness the climax of the games and also cheer for their favourite teams.
Kahiga has also pledged to continue supporting local sporting prowess in the county, as one way of fostering unity and social interaction within communities.
“We commend all participating teams, coaches, match officials, organizers, and supporters for their dedication and contribution to the success of this year’s tournament.
As the countdown to the finals begins, we invite residents from across the county to come out in large numbers and cheer on their teams as they compete for county glory. The stage is set. The competition is fierce. The journey continues,” he pointed out.
In football, runners-up will receive Sh130,000, third place Sh100,000, while the fourth placed will receive Sh50,000.
In the volleyball category, second place will get Sh80,000, third place Sh60,000 and the fourth placed team will pocket Sh30,000.
The tournament is being conducted from the Ward level, Sub-County, and eventually at the County stage.
Kahiga said a special organized technical committee had already been put in place to ensure standardized rules and regulations will be applied across all levels to ensure fairness, transparency and professionalism during the competition.
“To strengthen grassroots sports structures and provide a platform for players to showcase their abilities and potentially progress to higher levels of competition to ensure smooth execution, a comprehensive logistical framework has been put in place,” he explained.
“Overall, the governor’s cup tournament 2026 is expected to play a significant role in advancing sports development at the grassroots level while creating a vibrant and competitive sporting environment for youth across the region,” he said.
The county Gender Executive Esther Ndung’u told KNA they had projected at least 300 teams from each of the 30 wards to register for the tournament with the best team proceeding to the subsequent stage.
She explained that there were many organized sporting teams at the grassroots, which if nurtured and empowered can eventually join the ranks of professional teams at the national level.
Ultimately, the Department hopes to expose the sportsmen and sportswomen to recognized sporting bodies such as the Football Federation of Kenya, where they can get an opportunity to showcase their talents in national leagues.
“One of our objectives as a department is to go down to the village level and identify sport teams that possess unique sporting talents, but are unable to progress beyond their locality due to lack of resources.
They may have great talents, but unless they are tapped, they will remain unprofitable to them and even the community.
Ultimately, we want these sportsmen and sportswomen to be affiliated with recognized national bodies like the Football Federation of Kenya,” she stated.
- by Samuel Maina
